City Reads will be returning to Brighton this spring with a series of events, workshops and performances based on the same book, aimed at encouraging the people of Brighton to read together.
The Handsworth Times, a novel exploring the life of a family in 1981, is this years featured book and events include a celebration of ’80s music, a ‘Literary Salon’, and a conversation with the books Brighton-based author Sharon Duggal.
City Reads will be part of the Brighton Festival and organisers say they hope it will “spread a love of books and ideas to the widest possible audience throughout Brighton & Hove”.
City Reads will run alongside a similar event aimed at younger readers. Organisers are inviting primary school teachers and classes to register online and agree to read A.F. Harrold’s Fizzlebert Stump The Boy Who Ran Away from the Circus (and Joined the Library) together in class between 2 March – 23 May 2017.
Throughout the project, participating classes will receive free weekly e-bulletins which will include bite-size Fizzlebert Stump quizzes, puzzles and fun activities to complete.
Andrew Comben, Chief Executive Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival says: “The importance of empathy and community is central to our Guest Director Kate Tempest’s vision for the Festival as a whole, making Sharon Duggal’s powerful debut particularly fitting as a choice for City Reads.
“And with this year’s Guest Director our youngest in the role to date we are particularly pleased to be providing an opportunity to encourage young booklovers to come together to discuss and share their love of reading – and hopefully nurturing a new generation of artists and art lovers for the future.”
Sharon Duggal, City Reads author says: ‘What an absolute honour to have my novel chosen for City Reads 2017. It is quite a special thing to know that people from all walks of life across the city where I live and work will be coming together to read my book, just as I have done with many previous City Reads selections.”
AF Harrold, Young City Reads author says, “Young City Reads is a fantastic initiative and it’s great to hear Fizzlebert’s been picked this year. Hopefully it’ll put a smile on some faces and an embarrassing snort of laughter in the back of the room every now and then when you’re supposed to be getting on with more serious things”.
